Radiator vent valve



E. JACOBUS RADIATOR VENT VALVE Filed Dec.

' July 12, 1927.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS,

Also,

proper cooperation between the thermostat,

-fluid into the radiator and also byaction of Patented July 12, 1927.

ED ARD, aaconns; or Nnwanx, NEW ERS Y. l

- Y RADIATOR- VENT VALVE.

' Application filed December 31, 1926. Serial No. 158,172..

This invention relates particularly to vent values for radiators of steam or vapor house heating systems of the type including a thermostatic valve whichautomatically permits air to be ejected from the radiator while the latter is cool and prevents the escape of steam or hot vapor from the radiator, the valve beingalso automaticallyactuated by vacuum within the radiator to prevent the influx of .cold air when the pressure inthe radiator falls below that of the atmosphere. The valve is in general similar to that shown in myPatent No. 1,536,861 dated May 5, 1925. A common objection to such valves. is that the valve-head often becomes stuck or cor-- roded upon, the valve seat so that the pressure within the radiator cannot unseat the valve head and permit the escape of air, this being particularly operating upon extremely little pressures, for example close to atmospheric pressure. Also, in many instances the weight of the valve head itself isso great as to prevent its being raised from its seat by the pressure within the, radiator, even though. the valve head is not struck, or corrode-d to the seat. it-has been found diflicult to provide a 'the valve head and the valve seat so that closing and opening of the valve at the proper times to ensure eflicient operation of the-heating systems, is obtained.

' The objects of this invention are to overcome the above-mentioned difficulties comg -when the valve is applied to a radiator, with mon to known types of valves. of this character, one particular object being to provide aconstruction wherein the valve head is normally influenced from its se-at'by: action of gravity, andpositively forced againstits seat by the thermostat upon influx of hot the vacuum in the radiator when the pressure therein falls below atmospheric, whereby the valve has great sensitivity to small pressures both positive and negative and also to temperature in both opening and closing movements. v I, Other ob'ects are to provide in such a valve an outwardly and downwardly facing valve seat in the outlet passage of the valve with which cooperates. a tweenthe valve seatcand the thermostat element and movable thereby .ly. movable towardand from the valve seat upon influx of cold and hotfluid respectively true where the system is ball interposed beand independentlythereof, the thermostat being autoniaticalinto the casing; to provide a valve of this character which is simple andinexpensive construction and reliable and durable in operation, and to. obtain other results. and advantages as may be brought out byv the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding and like parts are designated.throughout the several Views by the reference characters,

.Figure 1 is aside. elevation of a radiator vent valve embodying the invention, showing the same attached to a radiatorillustrated in fraginentarysection; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 2-42 of Figure 1, with the cover of: the valve casing removed, showing the ,valve in open position; Y

Figure 3 is. a similar view showing' the valve positively closed by a thermostat, and Figure. 4 is a like view showing the valve head held to, its seat by vacuum within the valve casing.

In the speolfic embodiment of the inven .tion shownon the drawings, the reference character 1 designates a substantially hols low cylindrical. casing which both ends and maybe conven ently formed of sheet-metal by a drawing operation, with one end in the forin ofa cover 2 to which 1S secured a threadednipple 3 for connecting is, closed at the valve to a radiator A of a steam heating I system. The casing 1 isprovided at one s dethereof, in the present instance the top an outlet passage at which may be formed in a nipple 5 which is substantially right in-the outletpassage 4E. Said outlet passage, 4 is enlarged outwardly of said valve seat9,

as. indicated at 10, to loosely receive a ball valve 11,.

A substantially semi-circular thermostatic strip 12 has one end thereof fixedly securedto the casing 1 exteriorily thereof and'in spaced relation to the valve seat 9, by suitable means such as a bolt and nut 13 and l l. The other or free end of the thermostatic strip underlies the ball valve 11., and the thermostatic strip preferably closely conforms to the exterior contour of the casing 1. when the valve is cool, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. With the thermostatic strip in this position, the distance between the free end of the strip and the valve seat 1) is less than the diameter of the ball ll, and the ball is unscated by action of gravity and rests upon the thermostatic strip. The enlarged outer end it) of the outlet passage prevents lateral displacement of the ball from beneath the arm 8 of the nipple.

The thermostatic strip 115 may he of any suitable construction, but preferably is hunt uated comprising two metals having different co-eliicients of expansion and so an rai'iged that upon heating. the ends of the strip will tend to sepa'ate; in other words the strip is such that upon influx of hot fluid into the casing l the free end of the thermostatic strip 12 will move toward the valve seat 2), while when cool lipid enters the valve casing the free end of the thermostat-ic strip will move away from said valve seat. It will be obvious from the foregoing that upon getting up steam in the system or at any time when the radiator is cool, the valve ball 11 will be unseated as shown in Figure 2, so that any air in the radiator may escape through the outlet passage 4;. As steam enters the radiator the free end of the thermostatic strip moves the ball 11 tightly against the valve seat 9 so as to close the oulet passage and prevent es cape of steam. lVhen the radiator begins to cool the pressure therein gradually falls below atmospheric, and at a certain negative pressure, depending upon the weight of the ball 11, said ball will be sucked to its seat as shown in Figure et so as to close the outlet passage and prevent influx of air into the radiator. After the valve casing is cool and the pressure in the radiator begins to rise, as is the case when there is air in the radiator and steam is being generated, the freeend of the thermostat will of course swing inwardly against the casing, and the pressure in the radiator together with the weight of the ball 11 will unseat the ball, as shown in Figure *2, to permit the escape of air.

Itis also desirable in radiator vent valves to provide means for preventing the escape of water from the radiator when it is either hot or cold. For this purpose. I may mount a bell float 15 within the casing 1 upon a stem 16 one end of which is mounted in a recess 17 in the bolt 13, the other end of which is slidable in the outlet passage 4: and carries a valve head 16 to cooperate with the inner end of the arm 6 of the nipple 5. Obviously, should water flow into the casing 1 the float 15 will be raised and the valve head 16 caused to engage the end of the nipple 5 and close the passage l so that water cannot; escape through said passage.

Radiationvent valves of this type have been found to be subject to theft, and to prevent unauthorized removal. of my valve from a radiator l may form a radially projecting lug 1&5 on the cover side of the casing in which is arranged a set: screw .12). After the nipple 3 has been screwed into the radiator, the set :-;(.*l'c\\' It) is tightened against the radiator as shown in l ignre .l of the drawings to serve as a lock, it being obvious that the valve cannot: be rotated to unscrew the nipple until the set screw has been loosened.

It will he undenstoral that the particular details of construction herein illustrated are more particularly for the purpose of explaining the principles and a now preferred e1nbodiment of the invention, and these details may be modified or changed by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Also, it will be understoiul. that the inventionmay be cmbodied in other valves than radiator vent valves. 'lherefore, 1 do i not desire to be understood as limiting myself except as required by the following claims when construcd in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described theinvention, what I claim is: y

.1.. A valve of the character described, comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, said outlet: having an outwardly facing valve seat, a thermostatic element mounted exterior-1y on said casing to move toward and from said valve seat upon influx of hot and cold fluid respectively into said casing, and a valve head mounted between said thermostatic element and said valve seat and uncon nected with either thereof to close said outlet iiulependently of said thermostatic element upon decrease in pressure in said casing below atn'iospheric and freely movable independently of said thermostatic element away from said valve seat upon influx of cold fluid under pressure into said casing, said valve head being forcibly actuated into engagement with said valve seat by said thermtr static element upon influx of hot fluid into said casing.

A alve of the character described, comprising a casing having an inlet and an out let, said outlet having av drtiwnwardly and outwardly facing valve seat, a, thermostatic clement mounted. ext-eriorly on said casing to move toward and from said valve seat upon influx of hot and cold fluid respectively into said casing, and a valve ball loosely interposed. between said thermostatic element and said valve seat and movable in all directions indeyjiendently of said thermostatic element, so that said ball is freely movable away from said valve seat automatically by action of gravity upon influx of cold fluid pressure into said casing and is automatically drawn into engagement with said valve seat to close said outlet upon decrease in pressure in said casing below atmospheric, and is automatically forcibly actuated into engagement-with said valve seat by said thermostatic element upon influx of hotfluid into said casing.

8. A valve of the character described, comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, said outlet having an outwardly and downwardly facing valve seat, a thermostatic element mounted on said casingv and movable toward and from said valve seat upon changes in temperature in said casing, and a valve head to cooperate with said valve seat to open and close said valve and mounted to be forcibly actuated into engagement with said seat by said thermostatic element upon increase in temperature and to be drawn into engagement with said seat independently of said thermostatic element upon decrease in pressure in said casing below atmospheric pressure, said valve head being movable by gravity away from said valve seat upon decrease in temperature.

4. A valve of the character described, comprising a substantially cylindrical casing 1 having an inlet andan outlet nipple formed with an arm exterior of said casing and in spaced relation to the outer periphery thereof, said nipple having an outlet passage provided with an outwardly and downwardly facing valve seaton the under side of said arm of said nipple, a substantially arcuate thermostatic st-rip of substantially the same radius as said casing secured at one end to said casing exteriorly thereof so as when 0001 to substantially conform to said casing, the free end of said thermostatic strip underlying said nipple'arm and being movable toward and from said valve seat upon changes in temperature in said casing, and a valve ball interposed between said free *end of said thermostatic stripand said valve seat to be forcibly actuated into engagementwith said seat by said thermostatic strip upon increase in temperature and to be drawn into engagement with said seat independently of said thermostatic strip upon decrease in pressure in said casing below atmospheric pressure, said valve ball being movable by gravity away from said valve seat upon decrease intemperature.

EDWARD JACOBUS. 

